MacRumors

Apple appears to be testing a new feature that would allow developers to automatically charge users when a subscription price goes up, according to TechCrunch.

Right now, Apple asks customers to explicitly agree to subscription pricing increases when the cost of a subscription goes up. If a customer does not tap on the presented "Agree to New Price" button, their subscription is automatically canceled. But if the new functionality that Apple is testing rolls out, customers may simply be notified of an upcoming change, rather than being given the choice to cancel. Essentially, Apple is testing an opt-out system rather than an opt-in system for subscription pricing changes.

When Disney+ recently increased its prices to $7.99 per month, some developers noticed that the Disney+ app sent out a notification that was more of an alert about a price increase rather than a clear opt-in choice. Disney+ subscribers received a notification with a large "OK" button letting them know about the change, but there was no built-in opt-out button, with the app instead providing a link to change the subscription.

Other developers noticed similar behavior for different subscriptions, and an Apple spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch that it is running a pilot test on a new subscription system.

"We are piloting a new commerce feature we plan to launch very soon. The pilot includes developers across various app categories, organization sizes, and regions to help test an upcoming enhancement that we believe will be great for both developers and users, and we'll have more details to share in the coming weeks," the spokesperson said.

If this change rolls out more widely, App Store users will need to keep a closer eye on their subscriptions, as it will be easier for a pricing increase to go under the radar without the express opt-in system that's currently in place.

Apple would not provide more details on the pilot test, and did not offer information on the apps that are currently involved or when the feature might roll out more widely to all developers.

Apple today started accepting submissions for its annual Swift Student Challenge, a coding challenge that tasks students with creating a Swift Playgrounds project on a topic of their choice. Winners will receive exclusive WWDC 2022 outerwear, a customized WWDC 2022 pin set, and a one-year membership in the Apple Developer Program.

The deadline for submissions is April 24 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time, and applicants can see if they were selected by the end of the day on May 24. More details on how to apply and the full terms and conditions for the challenge are available on Apple's website.

Apple today announced that WWDC 2022 will be held online from June 6 through June 10, with sessions and other content to be made available on Apple's website and in the Apple Developer app free of charge. Apple is expected to announce its latest software versions, including iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS 13, watchOS 9, and tvOS 16.

While the WWDC 2022 conference will be held online for the third consecutive year, Apple said it will host a special day for students and other developers at Apple Park on June 6 to watch the Keynote and State of the Union videos together. Space will be limited, with Apple planning to share more details on how to apply to attend "soon."

Google today updated its dedicated Google Maps app for iOS devices, introducing several new features that will improve the navigation experience on iPhones.

There is a more detailed navigation map that Google says is designed to make it easier for people to drive on unfamiliar roads. Google Maps will show traffic lights and stop signs along the route, and enhanced details like building outlines and areas of interest.

In select cities, Google will provide even more information, such as the shape and width of a road, including medians and islands. The feature is rolling out to iOS and CarPlay users in select countries "in the coming weeks."

On drives that involve toll roads as part of the directions, Google Maps will now provide an estimated toll price before you begin navigating. Google will look at factors like the cost of using a toll pass or other payment methods, along with what day of the week it is, to provide an estimate.

Google will show both toll routes and toll-free routes, and users can still use the "avoid tolls" toggle to always see toll-free routes. Toll prices will be available for 2000 toll roads in the U.S., India, Japan, and Indonesia this month, with support in other countries coming soon.

Google is adding a new Apple Watch experience that will let users get directions on Google Maps directly from the watch. In a few weeks, Google Maps users will be able to tap on the Google Maps shortcut in the Apple Watch app and then start navigation without the need for a connected iPhone. There's also a "Take me home" complication that's coming to make it easy to get quick directions back to a set location.

There are also several other updates that will improve Maps on iOS. Google is adding a new pinned trip widget that will let users see trips that have been pinned in the Go Tab right on the iOS Home screen. The widget will display arrival time, the next departure time for a transit trip, and a suggested route when driving.

The existing Google Maps search widget will be updated to be smaller, and soon, Google plans to add Google Maps integration directly into Spotlight, Siri, and the Shortcuts app. Once set up, users can say "Hey ‌Siri‌, get directions" or "Hey ‌Siri‌, search in Google Maps" to use the new functionality. These features will start to be available in the coming months, with enhanced ‌Siri‌ functionality coming later in the summer.

Apple today announced plans for a digital WWDC event set to take place on June 6 to June 10. While the event will be held online with no in-person event component, Apple does plan to invite some students and developers to Apple Park.

In the press release announcing the "Call to Code" event, Apple says that it is putting together a "special day" for developers and students on June 6 at its Cupertino campus, with select attendees invited to a viewing party.

Apple will allow students and developers able to attend to watch the keynote and State of the Union videos together. Little information is available on the event at this time, but Apple says space will be limited and it will be taking applications in the future, with more information on how to apply "provided soon."

Apple today announced that its 33rd annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to take place from Monday, June 6 to Friday, June 10. As with the last several WWDC events, the 2022 Worldwide Developers Conference will be held digitally with no in-person gathering.

Prior to 2020, Apple hosted WWDC at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California, and thousands of developers and Apple employees attended, but in 2020, Apple introduced a free-for-everyone online event that will also be used in 2022.

"At its heart, WWDC has always been a forum to create connection and build community," said Susan Prescott, Apple's vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations and Enterprise and Education Marketing. "In that spirit, WWDC22 invites developers from around the world to come together to explore how to bring their best ideas to life and push the envelope of what's possible. We love connecting with our developers, and we hope all of our participants come away feeling energized by their experience."

There will be no cost associated with WWDC 2022, with all developers worldwide able to attend the virtual event. Apple plans to provide sessions and labs for developers to allow them to learn about the new features and software updates that will be introduced at the event, plus there will be a traditional Swift Student Challenge.

Apple says that this year's event will feature additional information sessions, more learning labs, more digital lounges to engage with attendees, and more localized content, with the aim of making WWDC22 "a truly global event." Though the event will be digital, Apple also plans to host a special day for developers and students at Apple Park on June 6 to watch the keynote and State of the Union videos together. Space will be limited, and Apple will take applications.

Developer sessions and information will be available on the Apple Developer website or through the dedicated Apple Developer app. Students can submit their Swift Playground to the Swift Student Challenge starting today through April 25, and winners will receive an exclusive WWDC 2022 prize. More information is available on the dedicated website for the challenge.

Apple is expected to hold an online keynote on the first day of WWDC to unveil new software, including iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS 13, tvOS 16, and watchOS 9. It is also possible we could see new hardware at WWDC, as Apple is working on an updated Apple silicon Mac Pro, a new version of the MacBook Air, and more.

Apple plans to provide developers with additional information in advance of WWDC 2022 through email, the Apple Developer app, and the Apple Developer website.

Apple is planning to launch a trio of new color options for the Beats Studio Buds, including gray, blue, and pink, according to leaker Jon Prosser.

A video on Prosser's Front Page Tech YouTube channel claims that Apple is planning to deliver all-new "Moon Gray," "Ocean Blue," and "Sunset Pink" color options for the Beats Studio Buds. Since their launch in June 2021, the Beats Studio Buds have only been available in red, white, and black.

The Beats Studio Buds are very similar to the AirPods Pro, featuring in-ear silicone tips, Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), Transparency mode, quick pairing, Hey Siri support, and Spatial Audio, for a price of $149.99. The Beats Studio Buds are $100 cheaper than the ‌AirPods Pro‌, but they lack the H1 chip, dynamic head tracking for Spatial Audio, wireless charging, and a design with stems.

• Beats Studio Buds vs. AirPods Pro

Earlier this year, Apple introduced a firmware update that added new functionality to the earbuds, including instant pairing via iCloud, easier access to battery status, and more control over volume.

Apple often introduces new color options to refresh various products, but this would be the first such refresh to come to the Beats Studio Buds. The three new color options are simply said to be in the works to launch "soon."

Apple plans to release second-generation AirPods Pro in the second half of 2022, well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in a tweet today.

While the second-generation AirPods have remained available to purchase since Apple released third-generation AirPods last year, Kuo said Apple may discontinue the original AirPods Pro when the new ones are released later this year. Apple announced the AirPods Pro on October 30, 2019, making them nearly two and half years old.

Kuo also said that demand for the third-generation AirPods is "significantly weaker" than for the second-generation AirPods, resulting in Apple reducing its third-generation AirPods orders from suppliers by at least 30% in the second to third quarter of this year.

Kuo has previously claimed that the second-generation AirPods Pro will feature a "significantly upgraded" wireless chip compared to the H1 chip in the original AirPods Pro. The chip powers audio-related functions like active noise cancellation, and improvements to this technology could result in improved battery life for longer listening time per charge. Kuo also expects the new AirPods Pro to support lossless audio on Apple Music.

Kuo also previously claimed that the new AirPods Pro charging case will be able to emit a sound to help users find it when misplaced. It is likely the charging case will also have water resistance like the third-generation AirPods charging case.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Debby Wu have previously reported that Apple has tested a more compact design for the new AirPods Pro that would eliminate the stems that drop below the earbuds. If this ends up being the final design, the new AirPods Pro could look similar to Apple's Beats Studio Buds released last year.

Gurman and Wu also claimed the new AirPods Pro would feature motion sensors for fitness tracking capabilities alongside the Apple Watch.

The International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) today announced that Apple CEO Tim Cook will headline this year's Global Privacy Summit, which will take place in person on April 11 to April 13 in Washington, D.C.

Cook will provide the conference's keynote speech on April 12 at approximately 9:15 a.m. Eastern Time. His speech will be live-streamed on YouTube.

"Tim Cook is a leading and influential voice for the privacy community, especially as Apple remains a critical player in the broader environment in which the digital economy operates," said J. Trevor Hughes, IAPP's President and CEO. "We look forward to his contributions to the event's powerful dialogue on privacy and trust in the digital economy."

The annual Global Privacy Summit focuses on international privacy and data protection in practice, policy, and strategy, according to the IAPP, a not-for-profit organization that has a mission of promoting and improving the privacy profession globally.

Discounts have returned for the new 14-inch MacBook Pro this week on Amazon, starting with the M1 Pro/8‑core CPU/512GB SSD model at $1,799.00, down from $1,999.00. Overall, this is a second-best price on the 512GB 14-inch MacBook Pro and is still a solid deal at $200 off for anyone shopping for the notebook this week.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Both Space Gray and Silver are being discounted to this price, and only Amazon is reaching this low of a price. Additionally, the sale price has been applied automatically and does not require any coupon codes to see the discount.

You can also get the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M1 Pro/10-core CPU/1TB SSD on sale, priced at $2,249.00, down from $2,499.00. This is a record low price on the 1TB 14-inch MacBook Pro, and it's only available in the Silver color option.

You can find even more discounts on other MacBooks by visiting our Best Deals guide for MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. In this guide we track the steepest discounts for the newest MacBook models every week, so be sure to bookmark it and check back often if you're shopping for a new Apple notebook.

Media management platform Plex today announced a new "Discover" feature that's designed to make it easier for people to find what they want to watch across different streaming services. With Discover, customers can add any TV show or movie into their Plex Watchlist, and receive information on where to find it.

The feature will inform users which streaming service has the content that they want to watch, and if the user has a subscription to that service, the content can be watched directly from Plex. It's similar to how the Apple TV app works, but it is more universal because it does not require an Apple device, and it also works with all streaming services, Netflix included.

To go along with Discover, Plex is debuting the Plex Universal Watchlist, which is an all-in-one watchlist that lets customers keep track of anything that they want to watch. The Universal Watchlist will display newly available titles from shows that are still airing, and it will let users know where the content they want to watch is available.

Plex says that its new feature set is meant to turn Plex into a one-stop shop for all media content. In addition to supporting watchlists and content from streaming services, Plex offers a selection of free, ad-supported TV shows and movies, plus it supports personal media libraries and live content.

More information about Discover and Universal Watchlist can be found on the Plex website. Plex is free to use, but upgraded personal media management features require the $4.99 per month Plex Premium package.

Two scammers who stole $1.5 million from Apple over a period of three years using the company's own technology have been sentenced to a combined 13 years in prison.

It was reported in September 2021 that two scammers developed a scheme to use point-of-sale devices stolen from Apple stores to generate fraudulent Apple gift cards between 2015 and 2017.

The scam was enabled through a handheld employee-only point-of-sale device called an "Isaac." Retail employees carry Isaacs around in the store, allowing them to check stock and sell products to customers wherever they are.

One of the scammers simply walked into Apple Stores across the country and waited for opportune moments to steal an Isaac device. They then sat outside the same store, still connected to its Wi-Fi network, and used the logged-in employee account on the Isaac to acquire thousands of dollars worth of digital gift cards.

The digital gift card redemption codes were then loaded into the Wallet app to generate QR codes, which were screenshot and sent via iMessage to the other conspirator, who was then able to walk into other Apple Stores and buy a range of high-value Apple devices. This process was then repeated across the country, allowing the pair to defraud Apple out of more than $1.5 million in total, according to the indictment.

One of the scammers stole $50,000 worth of digital Apple gift cards in Texas, while on the same day, his partner used the gift cards to buy thousands of dollars worth of Apple products in New York. The haul in Southlake, Texas, alone totaled $50,000 using 26 digital gift cards.

The pair were finally caught stealing Isaac devices in Apple Stores on CCTV and were eventually tracked down using their cellphone via GPS, before finally being arrested by the FBI. They subsequently pled guilty to wire fraud.

According to a press release from the United States Attorney's Office in the Northern District of Texas, the perpetrators have now been sentenced to a combined 13 years in federal prison and ordered to pay $1.26 million in restitution to Apple. It is unclear if Apple has made any changes to its internal systems and access to employee accounts on Isaacs to prevent the same scam from being attempted again.

Following yesterday's discounts on the Apple Watch Series 7, Amazon today has a new Gold Box sale on the Apple Watch SE. Prices start at $229.99 for the 40mm GPS model with the Silver Aluminum Case, down from $279.00.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

This is the second-best price we've ever tracked for the Apple Watch SE on Amazon, and at this time only the model with the Abyss Blue Sport Band is on sale. This model is shipped and sold by Amazon, with stock available today.

You can also get the 44mm GPS Apple Watch SE for $259.99 on Amazon, down from $309.00. This model is available in the Silver Aluminum Case with Abyss Blue Sport Band and Gold Aluminum Case with Starlight Sport Band.

There are also cellular versions of the Apple Watch SE on sale today, starting at $279.99 for the 40mm model, down from $329.00; and rising to $309.99 for the 44mm model, down from $359.00. There are more case and band styles on sale for the cellular models, including Space Gray Aluminum with Tornado/Grey Sport Loop and Gold Aluminum with Maize/White Sport Loop.

Be sure to visit our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more Apple-related products and accessories.

The iPhone 14 Pro Max will feature 20 percent smaller bezels around the display, according to newly shared CAD renders.

The CAD renders, shared by the Twitter account "ShrimpApplePro," show a design for the ‌iPhone 14‌ Pro Max that is broadly in line with other illustrations and measurements from 91Mobiles and Max Weinbach. Much like these previous renders, the most noticeable changes include a centered pill and hole-punch shaped front-facing TrueDepth camera array in place of the notch and a larger rear camera bump, but otherwise the design seems to be very similar to the iPhone 12 Pro and ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro. The renders are accompanied by a range of specific measurements for different aspects of the device.

The ‌iPhone 14‌ Pro Max's bezels will reportedly be 1.95mm thick, a moderate reduction compared to the ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro Max's 2.42mm bezels. One reason for the reduced bezels could be to make more space between the top bezel of the device and the top of the new pill and hole-punch cutouts. With these reduced bezels, the top of the cutouts will purportedly sit 2.29mm below the top bezel of the display.

The extent to which the reduced bezels will have a noticeable effect on the front of the device is questionable. Last year, users debated whether there was a difference between the sizes of the ‌iPhone‌ 12 and ‌iPhone‌ 13's bezels, and it seems plausible that Apple could slightly change the thickness of its bezels even on devices that ostensibly have the same display sizes.

Nevertheless, a 20 percent reduction on the ‌iPhone 14‌ Pro Max is likely to be more noticeable than any change between the ‌iPhone‌ 12 and ‌iPhone‌ 13 models, but it is worth noting that these measurements do not include the 1.15mm thickness of the stainless steel frame that sits around the display, which could make the change look less drastic. The reduced bezels are likely also too small to change Apple's marketed 6.7-inch screen size, even if the actual display area is larger in reality.

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Update: This article originally referred to a tweet from Quinn Nelson that suggested the ‌iPhone‌ 13's bezels were slightly larger than those of the ‌iPhone‌ 12. It compared an iPhone 12 mini to an ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro and was not a like-for-like comparison, so was corrected by Nelson at the time, and the erroneous reference to it has been removed.

Apple has raised prices for its entire AirPods lineup in India by as much as 10% for certain models as a result of new import duties imposed by the government which went into effect at the start of this month.

The new import duties mean that headphones and earphones will have a 15% to 20% duty upon import into India, but Apple's AirPods are seemingly being subject to a less severe duty of around 5% and 10% only. The third-generation AirPods now cost ₹20,500 ($272) compared to before at ₹18,500 ($245). AirPods Pro are now priced ₹26,300 ($349), compared to ₹24,900 ($330) and AirPods Max now cost ₹66,100 ($890). The second-generation AirPods also now 5% more expensive.

No other products, including iPhones, iPads, and Macs, have had their prices adjusted in India.

(Thanks, Pururaj)

The Hulu app for iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV was today updated with support for SharePlay, allowing Hulu users to watch streaming TV shows and movies with one another over FaceTime.

SharePlay is a feature that was introduced in iOS 15, and it is designed to allow people to do more over ‌FaceTime‌. With SharePlay, a group of people together on a ‌FaceTime‌ call can open up the Hulu app and select something to watch. The content will be synced up for everyone for a multi-person viewing experience.

All participants on the ‌FaceTime‌ call who want to watch Hulu will need to have a Hulu account to use, and pricing starts at $6.99 per month. SharePlay can be accessed by starting a ‌FaceTime‌ call and then opening the Hulu app, or by opening up the Hulu app, selecting a TV show or movie, tapping the "Share" button, and then tapping on the "SharePlay" option.

Hulu today also added a new feature that lets Live TV users flip between channels during playback. Full release notes for the update are below:

In this release, we are helping spread the Hulu love by introducing SharePlay. With SharePlay, you can watch content from the Hulu streaming library in sync with friends and family over FaceTime. We also launched a feature allowing Live TV users to easily flip between channels during playback. Upgrade to the newest version of the app on your iPhone or iPad to try it out.

Hulu can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Apple in March came out with the updated 2022 iPhone SE, a budget iPhone that's equipped with 5G. Samsung also recently came out with its own budget 5G smartphone, the Galaxy A53 5G, so we thought we'd compare the two to see how they measure up. In short, the A53 5G is offering up a better feature set, but it can't match the iPhone SE in terms of lifespan and build quality.

On paper, the Galaxy A53 5G offers a wide suite of features that the iPhone can't match. When it comes to the display, for example, the Galaxy A53 5G has a more modern edge-to-edge 6.5-inch 1080p AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, while the iPhone SE is sporting a smaller 4.7-inch display with thick, outdated bezels. The display is bright, vibrant, and at 1080p, noticeably better than the iPhone SE display.

Samsung has also equipped its smartphone with an ultrasonic fingerprint reader that's under the display and facial recognition, while the iPhone SE is using a standard Touch ID Home button, but Samsung's ultrasonic fingerprint reader is slower and less accurate than Touch ID, and the facial recognition is not on the Face ID level. It can be used for unlocking the smartphone, but not for making payments or authenticating passwords. Touch ID is being phased out from the iPhone, but it's still quick, responsive, and simple to use.

The Galaxy A53 5G is made from plastic, and it just feels cheaper than the iPhone SE, which is fully glass with aluminum siding. It's clearly made from better quality materials, and it has a more premium feel than the Galaxy A53 5G, which feels like your average budget Android device.

The A53 5G wins out when it comes to battery life because it offers almost double the capacity of the iPhone SE. The iPhone SE is, however, much, much faster than the A53 because it's using the same A15 chip that's in the iPhone 13. Samsung's smartphone is equipped with an Exynos 1280 chip that doesn't even come close to measuring up. Samsung does have the edge when it comes to storage, as the base model starts with 128GB and it can be expanded with an SD card slot (the iPhone SE starts at 64GB), plus it has more camera lenses.

Apple's iPhone SE has a single-lens 12-megapixel wide-angle rear camera, while the Galaxy S53 5G has a 64-megapixel wide-angle camera, an ultra wide lens, and a depth and macro sensor. Of course, more megapixels and more lenses does not equal better quality, and the iPhone SE has texture, detail, and HDR features powered by the A15 that set it apart.

Both phones have 5G and are equal in that department, and as for pricing, the Galaxy A53 5G is technically priced at $449, but it's available for $349 right now. That's cheaper than the iPhone SE, which is priced starting at $429.

Though the Galaxy A53 5G seems like the better phone right now, it's the A15 chip that makes the iPhone SE stand out. Apple will provide software updates, new features, and support for the iPhone SE for a good five to seven years, while Samsung is not going to support the A53 5G that long. The Galaxy A53 5G has a flashier set of features that may be immediately appealing, but those looking for a phone that's going to last for years to should check out the iPhone SE.

What do you think of the Galaxy A53 5G, do you prefer it to the iPhone SE? Let us know in the comments.

Five years ago, the Mac lineup was in a bad state. Over three years had passed since Apple redesigned the Mac Pro with a sleek but constrained "trash can" enclosure, while the iMac, MacBook Air, and Mac mini had also gone years without updates.

A snapshot of the MacRumors Buyer's Guide from April 4, 2017:

At the time, some users began to question whether Apple was still committed to the Mac, especially at the high end of the market.

The criticism ultimately led Apple to hold a meeting with a small group of reporters, where it apologized to pro Mac users and ensured that it remained committed to the Mac. In a rare and surprising move, Apple also pre-announced it was working on a "completely rethought" Mac Pro with a modular design, a new pro-level iMac, and a new pro display.

The meeting, which was disclosed to the public five years ago today, involved Apple's former marketing chief Phil Schiller, software engineering chief Craig Federighi, and then-VP, now-SVP of hardware engineering John Ternus. One of the reporters in the room was John Gruber, and the quotes that follow are from his Daring Fireball coverage.

Schiller's apology to Mac Pro users:

The current Mac Pro, as we've said a few times, was constrained thermally and it restricted our ability to upgrade it. And for that, we're sorry to disappoint customers who wanted that, and we've asked the team to go and re-architect and design something great for the future that those Mac Pro customers who want more expandability, more upgradability in the future. It'll meet more of those needs.

Federighi's admission that Apple had designed itself into a "thermal corner":

I think we designed ourselves into a bit of a thermal corner, if you will. We designed a system with the kind of GPUs that at the time we thought we needed, and that we thought we could well serve with a two GPU architecture. That that was the thermal limit we needed, or the thermal capacity we needed. But workloads didn’t materialize to fit that as broadly as we hoped.

Schiller ensuring that Apple remains committed to the Mac:

We're committed to the Mac, we've got great talent on the Mac, both hardware and software, we've got great products planned for the future, and as far as our horizon line can see, the Mac is a core component of the things Apple delivers, including to our pro customers.

To say that Apple delivered on its promise is an understatement. Not only did Apple release the modular Mac Pro and the since-discontinued iMac Pro, but it also finally ditched the problematic butterfly keyboard on MacBooks, announced its game-changing transition to Apple silicon, brought back a wide array of ports on the latest MacBook Pro models, gave customers an entirely new option in the Mac Studio, and more.

Apple's roundtable discussion with reporters will forever be a turning point in the Mac's history.